1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the bonding of one material to a second material and, more particularly, to the bonding of a first metal strip or a second polycrystalline or single crystal surface to a first polycrystalline or single crystal surface. By way of specific examples, polycrystalline and single crystal Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 can be bonded to polycrystalline (alumina) Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, to single crystal Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 (sapphire) or to metals such as kovar, stainless steel, nickel, molybdenum, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known in the prior art to bond a metallic path to a dielectric material object by preparing a mixture of approximately 80% molybdenum, 10% manganese and 10% silicon dioxide by weight. The mixture is added to a carrier material, such as pine oil, and applied to the dielectric object. The dielectric object is then heated to a temperature slightly above the boiling temperature of water (e.g., 105.degree. C. to 110.degree. C.) to remove any water vapor. The dielectric object is then heated above a temperature of 1000.degree. C. As a result of this procedure, a metallic region is formed on the dielectric object. A metal strip having desired properties can be brazed, soldered or otherwise connected to the metallic region formed by the aforementioned procedure.
The foregoing procedure has not proven satisfactory for bonding and for metalizing polycrystalline and single crystal materials, especially those materials having Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 or similar composition. When a metal strip is brazed or otherwise coupled to the region metalized by the foregoing procedure, force on the coupled metal strip can result in the metalized region being separated, along with the metal strip, from the polycrystalline or single crystal material. In addition, the requirement of a separate step to attach a metal strip to the metalized region increases the complexity of fabrication of a component.
Therefore, a need has been felt for a bonding material and a technique for using the bonding material that provides increased structural integrity as well as permitting the coupling of metallic strips to a polycrystalline or single crystal substrate. Furthermore, a need has been felt for a bonding material and technique that permits polycrystalline or single crystal Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 to be bonded to polycrystalline Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, single crystal Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 to be bonded to polycrystalline Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and metallic strips to be bonded to Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 structures. A need has also been felt for a (bonding) material that can be used to fabricate vacuum tight structures.